DHL expands Trade Automation Services for global shippers

DHL, the world's leading express delivery and logistics company, today announced the expansion of its Trade Automation Services (TAS), now covering over 90% of the world's trade flows.

TAS, a comprehensive online resource from DHL that provides complete trade and customs data for 63 countries, has been expanded to include coverage of additional countries, including Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Venezuela and the Philippines.

With the increase in global trade flows and as the reliance on global providers becomes increasingly important, businesses need solutions to meet regulatory requirements, expedite customs clearance, and minimize risk while maximizing profit. "Strong growth for DHL Express in Asia Pacific and increased demand for day definite products in Latin America led to DHL's continued improvements and expansion of TAS," said Preston Rencehausen, Services Portfolio Manager at DHL Express.

"In 2008, TAS Web Services transactions were up nearly 25%, reflecting the need to simplify and streamline global trade as it becomes increasingly complex."

Taking the guess work out of global trade

DHL's Trade Automation Service offers competitive advantages for global shippers, including more trade documents to prevent errors of omission, 10-digit Harmonized Tariff System codes for faster customs clearance and more accurate estimates, as well as daily updates to the system.

TAS is designed to take the guess work out of estimating duties, import/export regulations and other customs-related issues, providing access to many functions, including:

• Landed-Cost Calculator: Estimates duties, taxes and other customs-related charges, allowing all costs to be known prior to shipping
• Product Compliance: Verifies that shipments comply with country export and import regulations, such as quotas or licensing rules, to avoid costly delays and penalties
• Comparative Landing Costs and Product Compliance: Allows comparison of charges and trade rules for up to 5 exporting countries, providing the data required to make the best sourcing or distribution decisions
• Trade Documents: Details which international trade, logistics and customs documents are required for a specific shipment to ensure smooth customs clearance
• Interactive Classification: Searches for Harmonized System (HS) or Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) commodity codes, enabling quick and accurate classification of a wide range of products
• Restricted Party Screening: Checks shipper and receiver details against government lists, embargos and sanctions so customers can ensure global compliance

DHL will be expanding TAS coverage to the following countries by April 2009: Algeria, Jordan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Oman, Panama, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam.

The DHL Trade Automation Service can be accessed online by visiting the TAS homepage at www.dhl.com/tas. Additionally, DHL's TAS Web Services can be integrated directly into business applications or websites, allowing companies to access TAS trade data directly from their existing systems.